To date, the film has been rendered into more than 1,000 languages — including ten distinct sign-language versions — and a further 235 translations are currently under way, making it the most translated film in history.
The actor who played Jesus' corpse later became a seminarian, citing the film as the reason.
This film is one of the few that do not feature closing credits.
During filming one day, the twelve disciples staged a walkout, claiming their pay was insufficient. Most of the actors portraying the disciples spoke very little English, so they asked Brian Deacon to approach John Heyman and request a pay rise on their behalf. Ultimately, reason prevailed and the disciples agreed to remain with the production.
Yitzhak Ne'eman (James) attended the film's premiere in Israel but did not watch the whole picture. In an interview on an Israeli chat show in 1980 he said he was deeply disappointed, claiming the production took nearly a year and that several hours of footage were shot but omitted from the final cut.
Brian Deacon has said this was the most disappointing film he has ever been involved with. The entire Gospel of Luke was filmed, and Deacon was told the final edit would be regarded as a 4‑hour epic, but producer John Heyman preferred the whole Gospel of Luke to be treated as a Sunday‑school resource rather than released as a film. A shorter, condensed 2‑hour version was issued as the "Jesus Film", and a few scenes had to be re‑shot for the theatrical release, which accounts for the continuity differences between the film version and the New Media Bible edition.
Regarded by biblical scholars as the most widely screened religious film, it nevertheless failed to break into the US or UK markets. It was frequently shown in small venues using a basic film projector and screen.
Although the film does not show the pigs falling off the cliff, the New Media Bible version does include that footage. John Heyman chose not to present that sequence in the cinema release because he did not want to upset animal-rights supporters, so it was retained in the New Media Bible version.
Although the episode of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11) does not appear in the Gospel of Luke, John Heyman nevertheless filmed it. The scene is not included in the film Jesus or in the New Media Bible: Gospel of Luke, but it does feature on the Reader's Digest VHS Jesus: His Life and Times released in the 1990's. Brian Deacon has said it was one of his favourite scenes to film and wondered why Heyman would film it, since it isn't recorded in Luke's Gospel.
Brian Deacon, who portrayed Jesus, developed pneumonia towards the end of filming. To give him some respite, stand-ins were used for certain long shots, particularly during the crucifixion.
Producer John Heyman opted to have all of the voices re-recorded in post-production. The only exception was Brian Deacon, whose voice was not dubbed. Several lesser-known voice actors provided the voices for multiple characters.
Brian Deacon, who played Jesus, let his hair grow long and grew a beard, but producer John Heyman opted to have Deacon wear a chestnut wig over his own hair. Heyman also had Deacon fitted with a prosthetic nose to give him a more Middle-Eastern appearance, closer to how Jesus is likely to have looked. In a few sequences included in the New Media Bible book of Luke, Deacon's prosthetic nose appears crooked. Those shots were omitted from the film 'Jesus'.
The scene where Peter severed the ear of the High Priest's servant reportedly had to be filmed 33 times, according to Paul Eshelman's book 'I Just Saw Jesus'. Eshelman wrote that a cord was attached to the actor playing the High Priest's servant, and when Niko Nito (Peter) cut the cord the prosthetic ear, complete with red nail varnish, would pop out. The first 32 takes failed; it only worked on the 33rd attempt.
The crucifixion sequence proved agonising for Brian Deacon: he was seated on a nail and was required to keep his arms outstretched for hours on end without moving. He wore prosthetic nails and red nail varnish to create the illusion of nails passing through his wrists. For certain takes, John Heyman and Paul Eshelman alternated on the cross to relieve Deacon.
In 2014 the film 'Jesus' was fully remastered in HD, receiving a newly composed score, refreshed sound-effects and new voice-overs. Brian Deacon returned to provide the voice-over for Jesus.
In its original cinema release, there was a lengthier scene in which Pontius Pilate confronts the crowd after deciding to have Jesus flogged. When the film was withdrawn from cinemas, that scene was cut, but it is included in the New Media Bible edition.
Numerous evangelical churches across the United States contributed money to help fund the 1979 film Jesus and also supported the New Media Bible projects for the Book of Genesis and the Book of Luke. In return, many of their members were flown to Israel and employed as extras in the film; however, most of their shots were removed from the Jesus film but were still used in the Book of Luke series.
An early promotional poster for the film featured a photograph of Jesus healing a lame man. That scene does not appear in the film 'Jesus' itself, but it is included in the New Media Bible version.
Seeking to capitalise on the popular Israeli film "Lemon Popsicle", director Peter Sykes proposed giving Yftach Katzur a part in the picture. Katzur appears uncredited as the epileptic boy. Unfortunately for the film Jesus (1979), it failed to find success in Israel, despite the appearance of Israeli heartthrob Katzur from "Lemon Popsicle".
Throughout most of the filming of both the film Jesus (1979) and the Book of Luke, off-duty Israeli soldiers and police officers were deployed as security in case of a terrorist attack.
Most of the cast of the film Jesus also feature in the made-for-television film "Woman Called Golda". Their real voices are heard in that production, since every voice except Brian Deacon's was dubbed.
Several scenes highlight differences between the 1979 film Jesus and the New Media Bible version, whilst clarifying continuity issues because the two releases employ different shots, camera angles and scenes to tell the same story. For example, the Good Samaritan sequence in the Jesus film is entirely different from its counterpart in the New Media Bible version, as different actors are used. That is only one instance — there are several such variations across both versions.
Peter Frye, who portrayed Pontius Pilate, relocated to Israel in the late 1960s to serve as an acting coach and a lecturer in drama at Tel Aviv University. Known for wearing a beard for most of his life, Frye shaved it off to play Pontius Pilate.
In the scene in which Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac by casting the demon into the pigs, the crew could only get the pigs to behave in a frenzied way by setting off firecrackers to frighten them. However, this is one of the few moments that does not entirely accord with St Luke's Gospel, which records that the pigs not only ran off but flung themselves into a lake and drowned.
Eli Cohen (John the Baptist) said on an Israeli chat show that he was upset that the scene in which Herod's soldiers came to arrest him had been cut from the final edit. That sequence was instead included in the New Media Bible.
While shooting the scene in which Jesus tells the crowd that the poor widow had given more than everyone else, Paul Eshelman promptly stopped filming to point out that one of the extras was wearing lime-green Nike trainers — the unnamed extra had forgotten to put on sandals.
The image for which Brian Deacon is best known shows Jesus on the cross, staring directly into the camera. An early still from that shot displays blood on Jesus's face and nose and has Jesus (Deacon) looking away from the camera. That still is rare — only a few hundred copies were produced. The version used by Warner Brothers, and reproduced on the reverse of the film's 1990s VHS release, features Deacon looking at the camera but without any blood on his face.
Unlike many films about Jesus, this production depicts the crucifixion with the nails placed through his wrists rather than his palms. Today, many historians argue that this was the method used at the time. In the film Jesus is shown wearing a loincloth while on the cross. Debate continues as to whether that portrayal is historically accurate or whether he would in fact have been crucified naked.
There were also plans to adapt the Book of Acts. Once the Jesus Film and the Book of Luke were completed, The New Media Bible went on to film the first three chapters of Acts, but production stopped when The New Media Bible and the Genesis Project ran out of funding. Brian Deacon mentioned this in a 1979 interview for BBC Television.
Producer John Heyman was unhappy with the Israeli actors' high-pitched, heavy accents. For that reason the voices of all the actors were dubbed, although Brian Deacon was the only performer whose own voice was left undubbed.
Although Peter Frye (Pontius Pilate) and Richard Peterson (Herod Antipas) both spoke impeccable English, their voices were overdubbed.
At the time, Brian Deacon's wife, the actress Rula Lenska, played Herodias, the wife of Herod. Her scene had originally been intended for the film 'Jesus', but it was instead included in the New Media Bible's Book of Luke. Lenska wrote about this in her autobiography and was unhappy with the film.
All the Israeli members of the cast were prominent theatre actors and theatre directors in Israel. Throughout the country, live theatre attracts larger audiences than films.
Gadi Rol (Andrew) was only 20 when filming commenced. He took time out from his studies at Tel Aviv University to appear in the film (New Media Bible). Rol is also absent from the final sequence in which Jesus ascends into heaven: the New Media Bible version shows Jesus' ascension and then cuts to close‑ups of the disciples, and Rol (Andrew) is not among them. He later went on to become a well‑known theatre director in Israel.
Paul Eshelmann and representatives of the Jesus Film Project have, for decades, invited Brian Deacon to join a reunion project, but Deacon has repeatedly declined, saying he wasn't fond of the Jesus film and that over 4 hours were filmed whilst the final cut was released at under two hours.
Mosko Alkalai (Matthew) and Yitzhak Ne'eman (James) both feature as crowd extras in the television film 'Mary and Joseph: A Story of Faith', and their voices were also dubbed in that production.
The film's original release ran 22 minutes longer, featuring the full scene in which Jesus raises the widow's son at the foot of Nain and the sequence where Jesus heals the woman suffering from a haemorrhage. After the film was withdrawn from cinemas, those scenes were excised, although a brief clip of Jesus raising the widow's son appears in a flashback. The New Media Bible release includes both scenes in their entirety.
In this film viewers witness Jesus Christ's confrontations with the scribes and the Pharisees. The Pharisees and the scribes were his chief opponents because the Pharisees, the scribes and all Jews who belonged to the Pharisaic sect adhered to the Traditions of the Elders ('Mashlmanwatha da Qashishe' in Aramaic), which effectively nullified the word of God (Matthew 15; Mark 7). These Traditions of the Elders later became known as the Talmud, a position that is also acknowledged within Jewish circles.
As Rabbi Michael Rodkinson explains, the Talmud is the written form of what, in the time of Jesus, was called the Traditions of the Elders, to which he frequently alludes (Source — The History of the Talmud, Vol. II, p. 70, Ch. IX).
A version aimed at children was shot simultaneously with the principal production.
Richard Peterson (Herod Antipas) was an American-born actor of Jewish heritage, as was Peter Frye (Pontius Pilate). Peterson relocated to Israel to teach drama and also served as a producer and occasional performer on numerous Israeli English-teaching programmes, including "Debby In Hospital" and "Gabby and Debby".
According to Paul Eshelman's book "I Just Saw Jesus", Yitzhak Ne'eman (James) was reportedly difficult to work with and appeared uncooperative. Eshelman also claimed that Peter (Niko Nitai) had become a born-again Christian. Nitai has denied this and said that appearing in the Jesus Film/New Media Bible Book of Luke was the worst production he'd ever been involved with, and that he disliked his voice being dubbed over in the American release.
A publicity photograph was taken showing Jesus and his disciples approaching the town of Nain, where Jesus heals the Widow's son. This footage appeared in the film's original theatrical release, but after the film was withdrawn from cinemas the scene was removed.
The sequences in which Jesus overturns the money‑changers' tables, delivers parables in the temple, and is brought before Pilate were all shot at the same location, with the camera repositioned for each take. The site for all of these scenes was the Fair Grounds in Jerusalem.
For the New Media Bible edition, a handful of scenes were shot in which Brian Deacon delivered his lines in Hebrew.
Filming of the miracle in which the storm is calmed took place in a large swimming pool.
Peter Frye (Pilate), Ori Levy (Caiaphas) and Shmuel Rodensky (Annas) all appeared alongside one another in the 1976 film 'The Sell Out'.
Well-known Israeli singer Oshik Levi appears uncredited as the Good Thief on the cross.
Eric Deacon (Brian Deacon's brother) also tried out for the part of Jesus. The brothers only shared the screen once, in 1985's "The Zoo, A Zed and Two Naughts".
Rivka Neuman (Mary, the mother of Jesus) was, in fact, two months pregnant during filming. She appears only at the start of the film and briefly in the crucifixion sequence.
Rolf Brin (the centurion overseeing the crucifixion) went on to portray Pontius Pilate in Dallas Holm's direct-to-home-video release "His Last Days".
Brian Deacon's wife at the time, Rula Lenska, was offered the part of Heordias, but her scene was cut from the film; it appears in the New Media Bible edition.
Among the supporting cast, Eli Danker (who played Judas) has appeared in a greater number of American films than any other supporting performer. His own voice is audible in those American productions.
A book titled 'Jesus: His Life and Times' was published by the Genesis Project in 1979. It includes stills taken from the film 'Jesus' and from the New Media Bible series. The volume also contains images of scenes from Jesus' life that are not recorded in the Gospel of Luke. One picture is a digitally altered still showing someone placing a crown of thorns on Jesus (Brian Deacon)'s head, and another shows extras portraying Pharisees holding Jesus (Deacon) from behind as he faces the crowd.
The scene set in the Gethsemane garden was, in fact, filmed at 04:00.
Peter Frye (Pontius Pilate) also appears uncredited as Herod Antipas in the uncommon 1976 film The Passover Plot. His actual voice is audible in that picture: although he spoke fluent English, his voice — like those of most of the other actors, with the exception of Brian Deacon — was dubbed in the film Jesus.
In the popular 1981 Israeli film 'Thousand Little Kisses', Gad Roll (Andrew) and Rivka Neuman (Mary, the mother of Jesus) portrayed lovers.
Both the scenes in which John's disciples visit him in prison and those in which Jesus tells the parables about sowing seeds were filmed at the same location, with only the static camera being repositioned.
Michael Schneider (the Father of the Epileptic Boy) was originally from England, of Jewish background, and emigrated to Israel in the 1970s to work as a drama teacher and to direct numerous Israeli productions aimed at teaching English. In the film Jesus his voice was dubbed by another British voice actor, even though Schneider spoke fluent English.
The sequence in which Jesus is baptised and a dove alights on his shoulders required almost three hours to shoot, because the bird repeatedly failed to land on Brian Deacon, even after birdseed was tossed onto his shoulder.
The baby cast as the infant Jesus in the film was the child of an assistant camera operator, whose wife also worked in the make-up department.
Producer John Heyman had at first been keen for Niko Nitai to portray John the Baptist, but later insisted that Nitai take on the role of Simon Peter.
One day during filming a group of schoolchildren paid a visit, and the production was delayed for several hours while Brian Deacon signed autographs for the pupils.
Although Brian Deacon never managed to break into American films, he enjoyed a fairly successful career in his native England, appearing in several BBC television programmes and in live theatre productions.
Ori Levy (Caiaphas) and Eli Danker (Judas) appear together in the 1984 film "The Little Drummer Girl". In that picture their real voices are audible — like the other Israeli cast members they speak with strong accents — and John Heyman was unhappy with the actors' voices in the film, including those who spoke perfect English (Peter Frye/Richard Peterson/Michael Schneider).
Peter Frye, who played Pontius Pilate, was fluent in both Hebrew and English and served as the intermediary between John Heyman and the Israeli cast. Eli Danker, who portrayed Judas, spoke very little English at that time but learnt the language from Frye. Ironically, Danker went on to appear in several American films in which his real voice can be heard.
Several years later Paul Eshelman said in an interview with CBN that his only issue with Brian Deacon was that he would take smoking breaks between takes. Deacon smoked at the time and did not give up cigarettes until the early 1990s.
The Apostle Thomas was portrayed by the popular Israeli singer Nissim Garramech. Garramech didn't speak English because he was given no spoken lines in the film. He likewise has no lines in the New Media Bible version. His only other mainstream American screen appearance was in another biblical drama, "Moses the Law Giver", where he appears as an extra in the Golden Calf scene.
TBN broadcast the film Jesus (1979) annually; in the scene where the Angel Gabriel visits Mary, the dialogue is markedly different from that presented in the film.
Popular Israeli singer Ofira Gluska appears in an uncredited role as Susana. She does have a brief scene in which she sings, but her real singing voice isn't heard because it's been dubbed. Jon Heyman was unhappy with the way all the Israeli actors sounded — he felt they had thick, high-pitched voices. The only voice in the film that was not dubbed was Brian Deacon's (Jesus).
According to project leaders, the film Jesus (1979) has been viewed in excess of 5 billion times by upwards of 3 billion people, making it one of the most-watched films ever.
Due to the efforts of Bill Bright and the organisation "Campus Crusade for Christ", this film — released primarily on VHS — has been translated into over 1,600 languages and is believed to have been seen by more than 3 billion people worldwide, making it by far the most-watched film in cinematic history. Copies were distributed throughout China, Cuba and even North Korea.
This film is drawn from the Gospel of Luke. Other Gospels refer to the Crown of Thorns that Jesus wore at his crucifixion. Notably, it is among the relatively few film portrayals of Jesus's life that do not depict him wearing the Crown of Thorns on his head.
Joseph Shiloach — the actor cast as Joseph of Nazareth — had his voice dubbed.
One night at a hotel in Tel Aviv, a production assistant dozed off whilst holding a lit cigarette, which started a fire at the hotel.
The vocal track for Israel Rubinek's portrayal of Joseph of Arimathea is dubbed.
The voices of Rivka Neuman and Talia Shapira — the actresses who portray Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene respectively — are dubbed.
Paul Eshelman makes a brief appearance as a Roman soldier mounted on horseback. That particular shot was omitted from the New Media Bible: The Book of Luke.
Eli Danker, who portrayed Judas Iscariot, had his voice dubbed.
Shot over several months in the Middle East. The scene in which Jesus asks Peter to push the boat out — the one where Jesus tells the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector praying in the temple — looks as if it were filmed in summer, but was actually shot in late autumn/early winter.
On one occasion, during the filming of a scene for the New Media Bible edition, actual rain began to fall and the cast (whilst improvising) sought shelter.
The voice of Eli Cohen, the actor who portrayed John the Baptist, was overdubbed. His real voice can be heard in the film "The Story of Jacob and Joseph".
Peter Frye, who plays Pontius Pilate, has his voice overdubbed.
Oshik Levi's vocal performance, in which he portrayed Desmas—the Good Thief on the cross—has been overdubbed.
Shmuel Rodensky, who portrays Annas, has his voice dubbed by another performer.
The voice of Ori Levy, who played Caiaphas, the High Priest, was overdubbed by another performer.
Niko Nitai, who portrays Simon Peter, has his voice dubbed by a different actor.
Unidentified British voice artists provided the dubbed voices for the following performers: Ori Levy (Caiaphas the High Priest), Eli Cohen (John the Baptist), Joseph Shiloach (Joseph of Nazareth), Rivka Neuman (Mary the Mother of Jesus), Shmuel Rodensky (Annas), Talia Shapira (Mary Magdalene), Peter Frye (Pontious Pilate), Niko Nitai (Simon Peter), Israel Rubinek (Joseph of Arimathea), Oshik Levi (Desmas the Good Thief on the Cross) and Eli Danker (Judas Iscariot).
